Signs of War (2)
Yushin and his companions broke through the elves' border and arrived in the unexplored zone, only to experience firsthand—within mere hours—why the Elf Kingdom had abandoned its western territories.
Grrrrowl!! Kyaaahooooo—!!! Monsters poured in from all directions. Every one of them was savage and ferocious beyond measure.
The beasts that ambushed Yushin's group were predators that had survived the brutal food chain of the unexplored zone, their bodies covered in scars proving their hard-fought victories.
But "Who the hell are you baring your teeth at, you trash bastards?!" With every mighty swing of her Dragon Pursuer, Allen sent dozens of monsters flying into oblivion.
The moment they entered the unexplored zone, Rocksfield's mad dog, Allen Rocksfield, had claimed the top of the food chain. She hurled her massive greatsword with all her strength, embedding it in a drake's forehead, then smashed the monsters' skulls with her fists. Their heads caved in like they'd been hammered by a sledge, brains splattering everywhere.
"Hoo...! Haa...!!"
Was it the stress of hiding her true self in the Elf Kingdom all this time? Allen's breaths came out in wild, barbaric gasps that no one would believe came from a woman. The monsters, startled by her ragged breathing, slunk back warily.
"Ahaha, ahahaha! Hahahahaha!!"
The knightess burst into mad laughter. It was enough to cower the surrounding monsters—a laugh laced with ecstasy, rapture, and pure joy. She slaughtered them mercilessly simply because it was fun. She killed for the thrill of it. Realizing this from her laughter, the monsters judged that 'this monster' was unbeatable and turned tail to flee.
"As expected of Lady Allen!"
"I wasn't even worried when that giant drake showed up."
"It's Allen Rocksfield, who wiped out the northern barbarians who crossed the border! Kneel, you monster scum!"
The subordinates, peeking out from the carriage and watching the spectacle, shouted at the top of their lungs. Their eyes gleamed like they were staring at a UFC champion on an undefeated streak. For their invincible champion, defeat was simply impossible. With such unshakeable faith, no one feared the monsters.
"What, they all ran away?"
Somehow pulled from the guts of one of the monsters, Allen clutched a fresh crimson intestine dripping with blood in both hands. Was she planning to use it as a jump rope? Covered head to toe in gore, she cursed the monsters' weak spirits for fleeing before she could even warm up, her face twisting in disappointment.
"You're covered in blood. Better go wash up somewhere."
"Oppa, you okay?"
"Thanks to you."
"Good."
Allen grinned sheepishly. When Yushin personally wiped her face with a handkerchief, she beamed like she owned the world. She loved how he sweetly fussed over her after she'd slain hundreds of monsters like it was nothing. His clumsy wiping was the warmest touch she'd ever felt.
"Boss, should we set up base camp now?"
"Sun's about to set anyway."
Hekadi asked, and Yushin nodded.
They chose a nearby forest for the base camp. While wandering aimlessly to escape the stench of blood from the monster corpses Allen had shredded, they'd stumbled upon the dense woods.
"So, uh, what happens to us now?"
Gareth asked. Tucker shrugged in response.
"Dunno. We just follow the boss's orders."
They'd entered the monster-infested unexplored zone. One might expect resentment toward Yushin's extreme decision, but the subordinates showed not a hint of complaint. It was all because of their own incompetence. They'd been one-sidedly ravaged by the dark elves. Even as non-combatants, collapsing without proper resistance was a humiliating defeat.
"Those dark elves... Next time we meet, we won't go down without a fight."
"Yeah? You were the first one taken out."
"Huh? Pretty sure the first one was..."
"We're gonna be late. Hurry up."
Tucker waddled off, arms full of firewood. Gareth sighed deeply at his back. That guy was definitely the first one hit... The chaos had been so frantic, details were fuzzy. But he remembered opening the door to escape, only to be the first struck by the dark elves' ambush.
"W-We aren't seriously gonna live here forever, right? We're not some wilderness survivalists. Daphne's back at Santander Castle, waiting for me anxiously..."
"Daphne? That cute freckled half-elf maid?"
All of Yushin's subordinates had lovers back at Santander Castle. The few had one; the many had three or four. The youngest, Gareth, was dating a charming half-elf maid with freckles. Meanwhile, Yushin's adjutant Isana was seeing an older maid, an elf knightess, and even the female secretary assisting Bilen Santander.
If Yushin knew about his men's harem situations, he'd have buried them in the unexplored zone himself.
"Why's everyone so glum? Anyone'd think you all left girlfriends back at Santander Castle."
Yushin chuckled. Every subordinate's shoulders twitched faintly. The boss knew they each had at least one lover at the castle. But he didn't know most had two or more elf girlfriends.
"Boss, the Demon King Army's probably on the move by now, right?"
"Could be."
Isana's words drew a wry smile from Yushin as he stared at the crackling campfire. A hearty stew of vegetables and meat bubbled atop it. Allen drooled at the sight while Yushin voiced his concern that the Raging Flames Demon King herself might be making a move.
"By the way, boss. How'd you kill Agares? I know you don't like talking about it..."
Isana trailed off. Was it okay to bring up that event? Yushin had never mentioned Agares before, so the subordinates had held back on questions about the Demon King subjugation.
"The shards of the Demon God. Demon Kings wielding the power called the Demon Core receive the 'Demon God's favor of immortality.' You can't kill them with ordinary means."
"But you subjugated a Demon King, boss."
"The 'favor of immortality' ensures they can't be slain by any created being in this world. No matter how strong, if you're born a creature of this world, you can't kill a Demon King."
"Th-Then you...!"
"I can. I'm not from this world."
Only an Another One could overturn a Demon King's favor of immortality. When he slew Agares, Yushin learned that 'Another Ones are beings summoned to subjugate the six Demon Kings.' If the one who dropped them into this world aimed for Demon King extermination, Yushin would spit "you damn bastard" right in their face once he won.
"Just my theory, but like how we Another Ones have divine powers, the six Demon Kings probably have their own authorities too. Likely derived from the Demon God's shards."
Agares's authority was 'crowd control'—a mental ability forcing subjects into absolute obedience. The Tyrant Demon King. That epithet fit because of his crowd control authority. Millions had been exploited as disposable tools under it, culled after centuries of tyranny—until Yushin ended it by killing Agares.
"Sabnack surely has some authority too. Don't worry about the immortality favor. The real terror is a Demon King's authority. To beat one, you need to overpower their authority first—and get even stronger."
With that, Yushin watched Allen devour the stew ravenously and picked up his own spoon.
* * *
Bariteon Trident stood at the forefront, blocking the Demon King Army's northward advance. He swung his spear, unleashing a blizzard from Eternal Snow. The freezing gale froze everything in sight solid.
Monsters charging to slaughter elves froze mid-leap; even hulking minotaurs stood stock-still, encased in ice.
"Casualties among the men?"
"None, sir!"
"Good. Hold formation. Don't panic. Trust in your captain—me."
Bariteon, raising Eternal Snow at the front, cut a valiant figure. He always led from the vanguard, radiating silver light to assure his men: as long as I hold the front with Eternal Snow, we won't lose. The Elf Kingdom knights placed absolute faith in their leader who charged ahead first.
"Now, erect the barrier. Blizzard incoming—brace yourselves."
Bariteon spun Eternal Snow like a windmill, channeling mana. It drained fiercely from his body. Saturated with vast mana, the spear blazed with dazzling light, unleashing a glacial storm.
Kwa-gagagagagagak!!!
Freezing energies exploded outward, rapidly encasing the surroundings. They coalesced into form: a 5-meter ice wall spanning the border between Elf Kingdom and Demon King Army territories.
"This buys us time. It'll take time for reinforcements from Maherith. Plus, who knows when that Diablo Slayer will show."
"Pardon? Didn't he head to the unexplored zone...?"
"He'll come back. That's what we have to believe. In war, always think positive. That's how you see hope."
But that hope didn't last. Barely five minutes after Bariteon uttered the word 'hope'? The ice wall he'd trusted to hold for days shattered in an instant. Sliced clean horizontally, it collapsed like an avalanche. Massive ice chunks tumbled, spewing blizzards. And beyond the white maelstrom, something red emerged.
"...In war, you send grunts first, you shameless bitch. I wasted precious mana on that barrier, and you blow it away in one go? Vicious wench."
A woman with flowing red hair wielded a crude sword, commanding her army. The Raging Flames Demon King, Sabnack. Having stewed over her grudge against the Liberia Elf Kingdom, she'd appeared on the front lines first. Amid the raging blizzard, her red locks billowed. Back straight, she glared at Bariteon and the elves, posture unwavering—emanating demonic pressure without immediate attack.